WHAT DOES the future hold for Erik Morales? The future of Morales largely depends on what’s going to happen after he squares off with Filipino rival Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 18, Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez has revealed.
Asked whether Morales will hang up his gloves in the event he loses for the second straight time, Jimenez could not come up with a categorical answer as to what the Mexican wants to do following the Pacquiao rubber match.
On the other hand, Pacquiao, even if he loses, is likely to continue to fight.
“It would all depend on how the fight’s going to end,” said Jimenez, hinting that Morales plans to go on fighting especially if he prevails over Pacquiao or puts on a good showing against his heavily-favored foe at the Thomas and Mack Center.
“I really don’t know if he is going to retire after this fight,” said Jimenez, who oftentimes serves as the fighter’s translator in the absence of manager Fernando Beltran.
Ringsiders thought they’d seen the last of Morales last January when Pacquiao became the first man to score a stoppage over the man deemed unstoppable.
Pacquiao trains almost daily at the Wild Card in Hollywood, California, while Morales works out in seclusion at the Otomi mountains outside Mexico City.
Meanwhile, Sin City is ready to roll the red carpet for Pacquiao and Morales.
From the processing of credentials for the media, location of the media center, the staging of the press conference and official weigh-in and the schedule for fight day, the men tapped by Top Rank and Wynn Las Vegas have been doing a fine job dotting the Is and crossing the Ts.
Pacquiao and Morales are expected to arrive with fanfare at Wynn Las Vegas on Nov. 14 with the Filipino likely going there by land on board his newly-bought Mercedes Benz SL550 and the Mexican flying in using a private jet that will be leased by his promotional outfit Top Rank.
They are going to hold separate workouts the following day and will come face-to-face on Nov. 16 when the final press conference is held at the Cox Concourse inside the Thomas and Mack Center. The event begins at 11:30 a.m.
The official weigh-in, which will be opened to the public, will also be held at the Cox Concourse at around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 17.
The distribution of prefight accreditation to the media and individuals connected with the promotion will be made at the spacious Lafite Ballroom inside Wynn Las Vegas, where the media center is also located.
The media center at the Wynn Las Vegas will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning Nov. 15 until about noontime of Nov. 18. The Cox Pavilion Practice Court will be transformed into the media center and post-fight press conference.
